Can you shame a pregnant woman into quitting smoking?

It's a beautifully-executed ad, by Kelliher Samets Volk for the Vermont Department of Public Health (via Adrants).

It's also an approach that has been done before, by Different for the NHS:

Original or not, however, I don't think it will make a damn bit of difference.

All too often, public social marketing campaigns are based on the assumption that "if only those people knew that what they were doing is harmful, they'd stop."

I'll put it out there that most people who have a drug problem know it is harmful to them, and possibly to others. I doubt many smokers, problem drinkers, or street and prescription drug abusers are so deluded as to think they are doing no harm. But they are addicted, and addiction overrules self preservation. If it didn't we wouldn't have the problems we do.

This ad, as beautiful as it is, only serves to add to the public shaming of pregnant women who smoke by the general public. But shame is not a great motivator to change, especially when you have already made the shamed one an outcast.

The ads above are subtle, but it is part of a train of thought that includes these:

Via Wordpress

Via Wordpress

Via Google

Via DeviantArt

Via HazellCottrell

Via Coloribus

And then there's this:

I want to make it clear that I don't want women to smoke while pregnant. My problem with the prevailing attitude among social marketers is the insistence that you can shame and blame people with drug problems into behavioural change.

The other issue I have is how much these campaigns can take on the visual vocabulary of the anti-abortion movement:

Via World Health Organisation

With that approach comes the implicit message that a pregnant women's body does not belong to her, it belongs to society at large. And that is not okay.

Pregnant women who smoke need encouragement and help to quit, without being judged or frightened.   They need our support and understanding, not our looks of disdain. When is someone going to stop treating addicts like "rational consumers" of social policy, and actually take this issue on from a harm reduction point of view?

I'm ready whenever you are.

Cigarette marketing to women, 1930s style

Retronaut unearthed a couple of weird 1930s ads for Virginia Rounds (grandmother brand to Virginia Slims), a cigarette by Benson & Hedges aimed at women.

The example above, with its sharable dark humour and user-generated content contest, isn't that different from "breakthrough" social media campaigns today. (Although the disregard for the baby's health would also create a massive social media PR meltdown in today's more sensitive media era.)

The campaign also used celebrity. Illustrator Russell Patterson was a legend, having helped define the flapper style in his 1920s cover and interior artwork for publications like The Saturday Evening Post, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Redbook and Photoplay. He was also a successful syndicated cartoonist. 

The dated, but interesting, "girl power" approach in the ad above foreshadows Virginia Slims' 1960s pseudo-feminist marketing strategy of "You've come a long way baby". And like it, it commits the unforgivable crime of co-opting female empowerment to sell a deadly product.

I found one more ad from the series at tobaccodocuments.org:

If you know of any others, please share.

Women, as seen in 1962 Playboy ads #FdAdFriday

Me adman, you secretary.

That's "Kent". With an "e".

Reminds me of "Blow in her face and she'll follow you anywhere".

"Quiet, sweetie. Men are drinking."

Those had better be some awesome smokes...

Get women to kiss your... cologne.

I have no words.

Get it? Get it?

Via Retronaut

Sometimes a cigar just... isn't a cigar at all

BoingBoing posted this hilariously unironic ad from WWII-era America.

Indeed, who is that man with the impressively large cigar? My guess is war profiteer. Although putting "Dramatist" among the high-status professions is curious.

Even curiouser is this funny little visual, which should be co-opted by the anti-circumcision lobby.

...or not O_O

Ah, the good old days...

Herman Cain ad parodied to sell e-smokes

Herman Cain's campaign manager, Mark Block, recently became an overnight internet celebrity for his bizarre delivery and cigarette flourish on a bizarre political ad.

There have been quite a few parodies since, but at least one advertiser has decided to try to make a marketing campaign out of it.



Smoke Stiks are "electronic cigarettes". They simulate the actions and (optional) nicotine fix of smoking (including creating the appearance of smoke). But they don't produce tar and all that other nasty stuff.



They do apparently, however, produce that freaky Cain smile...


Via Agency Spy

F'd Ad Fridays: Is it a warning or a "how to" ad?

Via imgur

F'd Ad Fridays: Cigarette advertising takes a piss

I am trying to figure out this ad, of unknown vintage, from Imperial Tobacco for the German market.

Via Coloribus

The headline is something like "Equal rights for all", and I guess the implication of the image is that women should be able to pee anywhere they want to, just like men (?). But I'd need some context to get where smoking figures into it.

Nice parallel, however, of "smelly things that we don't really want you doing in our presence". No matter how cute you are.

How not to do an anti-pregnant-smoking PSA

Save Your Child from ParkhausPictures on Vimeo.

#1  Do not be too obvious (the "mysterious" coughing was not exactly a teaser)

#2  Do not try to guilt people into action (the melodrama, the "consequences")

#3  Do not overstate your case (it's like you're smoking your baby!)

These are really standard social marketing mistakes, and yet people keep making them. The last thing a pregnant woman addicted to cigarettes needs is shame and blame. She needs hope and help.

And this is not helping.

The problem with this kind of advertising is that it takes the perspective of people who do not do this kind of thing, and can't understand why anyone would. So they express their concern in a dramatic and damning fashion.

Meanwhile, the person who is smoking while pregnant feels assaulted and isolated, and rebels by hardening her resolve against those who clearly do not understand what she is going through. (Instead, she'll rely on anecdotes from likeminded friends whose babies were "just fine.")

And if she does the research for herself, she will find out that smoking is bad for the baby, but not to the extent that it is portrayed in the ad. At which point, she will have totally dismissed the message, and will blissfully continue smoking in denial of the real risks.

Advertiser: Save Your Child (Denmark)
Via Illegal Advertising

Cigarettes: as yummy and cute as lollipops and ice cream!

Copyranter shared these unbelievably despicable ads for a Russian brand of cigarettes clearly targeting female teens (or perhaps tweens):

Apparently, the ads were pulled by a government regulator, and that action is being appealed by perhaps the most awful marketers on the planet.

(BTW, Google Translate gives the copy as: "Thoughts in the style of Kiss! I love everything new, delicious and round!" – making these ads eve more disturbing.)

There is also very teenybopper collateral as part of the "Kiss Club", which asks members their age but will take people up to the birth year 2000:

Oh yeah, and Kiss Cigarettes come in fun flavours like "menthol", "Fresh Apple", "Energy" and "Dream"...

While against violence, part of me still wishes I could hate these people to death.

Big Tobacco bumps off a few more addicts

I'm old enough to remember what it was like when people smoked on airplanes. When it landed, as soon as the "no smoking" and "fasten seatbelts" signs went dim, half the passengers went for their pocket pack and lit a cigarette. Today, you can see the exact same coordinated gesture... but they reach for their smartphones.

With so much in common, it was only a matter of time before a tobacco company came up with an app for iPhone. And they have. Or at least the concept is there.

"Bum(p) a Smoke" is an app idea from Miami Ad School that lets casual smokers bum a virtual cigarette from heavier smokers via the built-in "bump" data transfer capability by which you tap iPhones to exchange info. The parasitic smoker can then redeem their bumps for real tobacco once they fill a digital pack.

What a brilliant idea. Because if there's one thing we need, it's to encourage those "I only smoke when I drink! Tee hee hee!" weasels. But don't worry, it's not real.

Via Ads of The World

"Marlboro Earth" cigarettes will save the planet

You've got to love The Onion. Even after years of coming up with new satire on a weekly basis, they still manage to rock out something like this:

Click to enlarge.

People are the greatest environmental threat to the planet, so any product that shortens their lifespans has a direct positive impact on ecology. It's greenwashing logic at work, and not that far off from reality:

Although industry research indicates people do offer some secondary benefits to the planet, such as recycling programs and wind power generators, studies have concluded these efforts fail to offset the disastrous potential of humanity.

According to Philip Morris, Marlboro Earths are the first green product to address that threat head-on.

"Wildlife habitat encroachment, climate change, the exploitation of precious natural resources—they can all become a thing of the past," said James Freedman, a member of the marketing team tasked with branding the new product. "Smoke these cool, clean Marlboro Earths every chance you get, and you'll reduce your carbon footprint to zero in no time."

Added Freedman, "Plus, you'll look really sophisticated and glamorous while doing it."

Read the full article here.

Smoked Turkey

I know my American readers are getting ready for their (oddly late) Thanksgiving tomorrow, so I won't hold you up. I just want to remind you, via this vintage ad from Sociological Images, that nothing goes as well with good food, good company and good times, like a malodorous and carcinogenic roll of burning leaves.

[click image for larger version]

Man, I'm sure the days of tobacco advertising that normalizes smoking as part of a hip and righteous lifestyle are over. Right Camel?

Or maybe not.

Take care, and have a happy and healthy day off.

Perso nella traduzione

I recently stumbled upon this strongly-worded, if somewhat insensitive, ad from Italy on Ads of the World:



Why is it in English? Because agencies around the world long ago realized that to be understood (and blogged about) internationally, you need to put English versions online.

However, that is no guarantee that the ads will be reproduced in good English.

The body copy of this ad reads:

"According to many scientific researches people who smoke have an higher chance to die young

On the 31st of May, the World No Tobacco Day, the Mayor of Nettuno invites all the smokers to stop before it's too late"

But at least we can all "get" the ad. The real problem creeps in when the concept itself does not translate:




Well... okay then. I would have though pension and care would be considered good things when you get old.

The ads are by an agency called Link in Rome, for the nearby City of Nettuno.

If anyone can locate the original ads in Italian, I would be most grateful...

Branding's Bad Side

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[After today's post, Change Marketing will take a short March Break. I'll be back next week.]



Just over three years ago, R.J. Reynolds decided it needed to capture a greater share of the young, fashionable and female smoking public. After all, if up-trending rates of lung cancer among American women are anything to go by, it's a growing market.

And thus Camel No.9 was born: A sleek, pink, and pretty cigarette brand that sold itself in fashion magazines. Cool, eh?

However, people noticed something funny about this brand. Why were they marketing their smokes using teeny-bopper giveaways like glitter stickers and cell phone accessories? And what kind of adult is this promotion aimed at?


(via Sociological Images)

Well, a recent study by Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego has the answer. They conducted five phone interviews about cigarette awareness and use between 2003 and 2008 with 1,036 males and females who were 10 to 13 years old.

One interesting finding was that youth who had never smoked before, but who named a favorite cigarette ad at the beginning of the study, were 50% more likely to start smoking later on.

That makes the other major finding all the more distressing:

"The number of boys with a favorite ad was stable across all five surveys. For girls, however, it was stable across the first four surveys, but by the fifth survey, which took place after the start of the Camel No. 9 campaign, the proportion of girls who reported a favorite ad jumped by 10 percentage points, to 44 percent. The Camel brand accounted almost entirely for this increase."

Study lead John P. Pierce, PhD, professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and director of the Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program, commented: “This national study demonstrated that the Camel No. 9 campaign had a huge impact on young adolescent girls across the country, effectively encouraging them to smoke.”

He also points out that the results go against the Tobacco Industry's agreement with U.S. State Attorneys General not to target adolescents with advertising.

What do you think? Can R.J. Reynolds actually plead ignorance on this one, and claim that they weren't targeting teenage girls?



Bling it on, indeed.

MADD takes a hard left towards denormalization

Adrants yesterday posted some new ads for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, created by TBWA Toronto.

Here's one:



It's funny. It's thought-provoking. And it's a complete change of course for an organization that traditionally uses shock and guilt to hammer home the anti-drinking and driving message:



So, what happened? Obviously, someone at MADD has decided to give "Denormalization" a try.

A tactic in anti-smoking campaigns for decades, denormalization campaigns seek to make previously tolerated behaviours socically unacceptable by exposing them to ridicule or redefining them as just plain dumb.

Let's look at another of MADD's new approach:



The beauty of these ads is not just in the writing, but the casting. These guys look like lifelong drunkards, the dumbass who sits next to you at the bar, tells secondhand stories, then leaves you wondering how he's getting home.



(It's a shame they didn't use the URL, drivebackroads.ca, for some additional viral outreach. It's currently parked on godaddy.)

One of the principals behind denormalization is social shaming through satire. While it is embraced by many current social marketing campaigns, the practice is as old as western civilization. From Greek and Roman playwrights and poets, to Jonathan Swift, to The Onion, hilarious and often brutal satire has been a popular tactic for pushing social self-awareness — and ultimately change.



But will it get through the the thick heads of the hardcore drunk drivers? Probably not. But that's not the point.

According to our longtime client and office neighbour, The Traffic Injury Research Foundation, the repeat offenders need to be dealt with in a more scientific way, through well-informed policies and legislation. That's the other aspect of social change. (Think of how workplace smoking bans almost eliminated indoor social smoking in a very short time, after years of social marketing had had little impact on youth.)

The purpose of satire, or denormalization, isn't to make the offenders see the error of their ways. It's intended to emphasize the unacceptability of their behaviour to people who might otherwise be complacent about it. When we all join in to laugh at the buffoon, then the real power of social shaming comes into play. You might even report them, as the call-to-action asks.

Good campaign. I hope MADD keeps up this more sophisticated approach in their social marketing.

My Father Likes....

My son made me a card for Father's Day. It was cute as hell, but it also got me thinking about one I made for my Dad, more than 30 years ago, that almost got made into a social marketing campaign.

Here's the cover:



That's right — Dad likes to smoke. Like many 1970s parents, he saw nothing wrong with smoking around kids. And strangers were hardly more concerned. We Gen-X kids just got used to the fact that we had to breathe in smoke at home, in the car, at restaurants, even on trains and planes. Second-hand smoke was just a fact of life. And if I got the occasional ear infection, well that was too.

How times have changed, eh? Polite society is mostly smoke-free now, at least in public enclosed spaces. You can go to a bar without smelling like an ashtray, and pretty much expect that your kids won't be subjected to smoke. (Even Dad goes outside now to smoke at home... thanks Dad!)

But the situation is not all roses. Despite the fact that Ontario has passed a law against smoking in a car with kids, I still see it happening all the time. I know that there's not much I can do personally, but professionally I've always wanted to do an effective anti-second-hand-smoke campaign. (I've worked with a partner Aboriginal advertising agency to do targeted campaigns for Health Canada, but they were a whole different approach.)

So I worked with the team here at Acart to mock up an approach for a pitch where a modern dad gets his Father's Day card from his child, sees that the smoke is marring his parental image, and decides to smoke away from his kids from now on. The client didn't buy it.

Maybe I should have pitched it to the tobacco companies. After all, when I was a kid I seem to have had a real knack for branding:



So, does anyone want to buy a slightly used social marketing concept?